Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-07-20
TEXAS CATTLE FEVER IN KANSAS.
Harrison Kelley, chairman of the com
mittee appointed by the governor, makes
his report:

| hdIIiSou AtNff, CuaiIuldu VI tut Gull
mittee appointed by the governor, makes
his report:
\ OTTUMwA, KANSAS,
July ID, 1887.
Governor Martin:
My DEAR SIs:-On reaching home last
evening from Washington county, found
your letter of July ~, enclosing letter from
Mr.. Howe, of Greenleaf Some time In
April last received letter from Dr. Hol-
combe. containing letter from our inspec-
tor at Kansas City notifying me chat $50
head Of cattle coming from Southern Ar
kansas, had been shipped from Kansas
City to Greenleaf over the Missouri Pacific
road. Immediately went to Greenleaf
and took possession of the cattle. I found
they hBd been unloaded from the cars but
two or three days, but were then in lots
In three different places, being fed, as
grass had not yet started. The lots in
which they were fed were twelve miles
apart. put them in the hands of the
sheriff as the law directs and instructed him
to maintain close quarantine over them.
DE informs me that he has kept it up
strictly. When grass came the cattle were
moved by the sheriff to pastures and are
now kept strictly guarded by the sheriff
and his deputies. The cattle that have
died have been in the fields where these
cattle were fed. or have passed over their
trail, or drank from their watering places
while the Elwood cattle were being fed or
moved. The law provides that every per-
son who suffered loss on account of these
cattle coming in there, has lien on all the
cattle for the amount of his damage. We
will hold the cattle until December 1, thus
10 J1, III
are paid, and if expenses are not paid by
the 10th of December, the sheriff is re
quired to sell enough of the cattle to pay
the expenses, and l have but little doubt |
that enough of the cattle will be left to pay |
all damages to those who lose cattle, but |
the commission has nothing to do with col |
lecting damages for the owners of the cat |
tie, neither has it anything to do with |
prosecuting criminality the parties who |
shipped them in, as l see it. It is the duty |
of the prosecuting attorney of the county |
to prosecute criminality, upon complaint |
of any party, and have SO told him. He |
says no complaint has been made to him. |
have no doubt he will prosecute vigor- |
ously when there is. The penalty is fine |
not exceeding $1,000 and imprisonment in |
jail not exceeding one year. The first |
papers were made out in the Office of the
prosecuting attorney, and he has had full
knowledge of the whole transaction from
the first. If you think best, / will enter |
complaint and prosecute, but my judgment |
is, the citizens up there should do it, the
same as they did in Chase and Morris, last
year. There the parties plead guilty, were
fined. and voluntarily adjusted and paid
all demands for loss to the satisfaction OF
all parties. If the owners Of the Washing
ton county cattle have any business sense,
they will do the same thing.
Very much to my surprise when in To
peka, the 18th of this month, received a
telegram from the sheriff of Washington
county saying that he had taken charge of
700 head more Texas cattle that were I'M
loaded at Clifton from the Kansas Pacific,
and wanted to know what he should do
with them. Immediately went to Wash
ingtop, found the cattle twelve miles south
west, held by sheriff's deputies in close
quarantine, six of them having died with
fever and several others sick. l gave the
sheriff orders to hold them in close quaran-
tine until released by the live stock COM
mission. The parties who own them live
in Chicago, but their agent is there. clam
oring for their release, claiming they have
been in Kansas two years. They were
loaded at Kiowa, and are dangerous to say
the least | Informed him that If he want
ed any further hearing l would convene
the commission and hear his evidence, but
that the cattle must remain in quarantine
until that time anyway. They were ship
ped to this same man ElwOOd; and the
parties in charge told the sheriff, when he
took possession of them, that they were
loaded at Hugo, on the K p,
which the sheriff found ON examina
ton at Clifton is false, and in my judgment
is evidence Of their crookedness l think
the commission has done everything in its
power to protect the citizens of Washing
ton county and have acted promptly. If
there is anything further the commission
can do, and you will suggest it, the COM
mission will be glad to act, and will act
promptly.
l think the railroad company should be
but the attorney general has
not yet been officially notified OF its viola
ton. The commission will properly lay
complaint before him at our next meeting.
The railroad company required Mr. Ell
wood TO put up indemnity bond before
shipping, thus showing they had knowl-
edge of the dangerous character of the
,attle. Yours very truly,s
HARRISON KELLEY,
Chairman Com